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If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable."- Rainer Maria Rilke

It is incredible to think that we are moving out of winter already, as time flies by one thing remains a constant AMAZING animal sightings, in this highlights blog we have included last months sightings, creating a bumper issue for your enjoyment.

"I believe there is no sickness of the heart too great it cannot be cured by a dose of Africa. Families must go there to learn why they belong together on this earth , adolescents to discover humility, lovers to plumb old but untried wells of passion, honeymooners to seal marriages with a shared sense of bafflement, those shopworn with life to find a tonic for futility, the aged to recognize a symmetry to twilight. I know this all sounds a bit much, but if you have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa."- John Heminway

Winter is definitely on the way as the vibrant colors of summer start to fade and temperatures have begun to drop, the mornings start off with a hearty cup of coffee around the camp fire to warm up before setting out to see what the bush has to offer. The month of May has been challenging when it comes to sightings as animals adapt to the changing seasons but the ones we have had have been nothing short of amazing.

“To witness that calm rhythm of life revives our worn souls and recaptures a feeling of belonging to the natural world. No one can return from Africa unchanged, for tawny lions will forever prowl our memory and great herds throng our imagination.” -George Schaller

The month of April has been one of many surprises. The summer rains have dwindled with the approach of the dry season, and the lush green grass is beginning to fade into hues of warm yellow. Mornings have turned chilly with vast mist filled valleys glowing in the rising sun. The long winter nights are starting to slowly creep in as sunlight quickly fades with each passing day. The sightings have yet again been incredible. Without fail the Timbavati has managed to produce time and time again. It seems the larger animals such as Elephant and Buffalo are travelling larger distances to get to sufficient food resources which has made them the harder animals to find whilst out on game drive. There is also plenty of water still around in the watering holes and the pans that litter the landscape perhaps, another reason we have to look that much harder to find them. Predator sightings, on the other hand, have been out of this world. It seems the Leopard population is set to flourish as the frequency of sightings has been extraordinary. When kills have occurred it has not been uncommon to see two Leopards in one sighting with youngsters feeding off scraps and similar aged Leopards battling it out for the kill. We’ve had the privilege of enjoying great Lion sightings during April with a number of nomadic males drifting through our traverse looking for the opportunity to establish themselves as fearsome leaders of a pride.

At Umlani Bushcamp we run a student program that allows young guides to experience living and working at a lodge, giving them practical experience and a real understanding of the industry. Just over a year ago Oliver Lane joined us at the camp as a volunteer but quickly found out that he would like to make a life out of working in the bush, so he has spent his time with us learning the different tools of the trade and recently got a chance to get in the hot seat and conduct his first game drives, this is how it played out for him.

March has come and gone in the blink of an eye and we quickly moving out of our hot summer months and into the slightly cooler season of autumn. We can already feel the cooler temperatures in the mornings and the evening which is a welcome reprieve from the intense heat making being out on safari in the bush just that much more enjoyable.